A million saved is barely a fifth of an entry-level deposit, leaving the sandwich class anxious and adrift

Many young Hong Kong working people who have lived frugally for years and saved into seven figures still feel acute wealth anxiety — because at today's property prices, HK$1 million is barely a fifth of an entry-level private flat's deposit, leaving respondents trapped in the mindset of 'all that saving and I still can't do anything'. This is especially true for a generation from working-class roots with no family wealth to fall back on: caught between marriage pressure and home-ownership expectations, and stuck in the gap of 'worse off than those above, better off than those below', they struggle to find an emotional outlet and lack planning guidance tailored to this financial tier.

Existing wealth-management services mainly target high-net-worth individuals or low-income groups with no financial knowledge at all, leaving the sandwich class — middling income, some savings, but still far from buying — without planning tools or advisory services that fit their psychological needs and financial reality. This gap reflects a clear shortfall in Hong Kong's financial-education and planning industry when it comes to serving the young middle class who are 'well-off but never enough'.